Editing Proserpina (section)

===Proserpina===
Proserpina was officially introduced to Rome as the daughter of Ceres in the newly Romanised cult of "Mother and Daughter". The cult's origins lay in southern Italy, which was politically allied to Rome but culturally a part of [[Magna Graecia]]. The cult was based on the women-only Greek [[Thesmophoria]], which was a part public and part mystery cult to [[Demeter]] and Persephone as "Mother and Maiden". It arrived in Rome along with its Greek priestesses, who were granted [[Roman citizenship]] so that they could pray to the gods "with a foreign and external knowledge, but with a domestic and civil intention".<ref>Spaeth, 1996, pp. 4, 6–13, citing Cicero, ''pro Balbo'', 55. [[Arnobius]] mistakes this introduction as the first Roman cult to Ceres. His belief may reflect its high profile and ubiquity during the later Imperial period, and possibly the fading of older, distinctively Aventine forms of her cult.</ref> In his commentary on [[Virgil]], [[Maurus Servius Honoratus|Servius]] writes that Proserpina's heavenly name is Luna, and her earthly name is [[Diana (mythology)|Diana]].<ref>Servius, ''Commentary on Virgil's Aeneid'' 6.118.</ref> 

The exclusively female initiates and priestesses of the new "[[Ritus graecus|Greek-style]]" mysteries of Ceres and Proserpina were expected to uphold Rome's traditional, [[Patrician (ancient Rome)|patrician]]-dominated social hierarchy and [[mos maiorum|traditional morality]]. Unmarried girls were expected to emulate the chastity of Proserpina, the maiden; married women were expected to seek to emulate Ceres, the devoted and fruitful Mother. Their rites were intended to secure a good harvest, and increase the fertility of those who partook in the mysteries.<ref>Spaeth, 1996, pp. 13, 15, 60, 94–97</ref> Each of the Aventine triad's deities continued to receive cult in their own right. Liber's open, gender-mixed cult and festivals continued, though likely caught up in the suppression of the [[Bacchanalia]] some twenty years on.<ref>Wiseman, T. P., ''Remus: a Roman myth'', Cambridge University Press, 1995, p.133</ref> Proserpina's individual cult, and her joint cult with Ceres became widespread throughout the Republic and Empire. A [[Temple of Proserpina]] was located in a suburb of [[Melite (ancient city)|Melite]], in modern [[Mtarfa]], [[Malta]]. The temple's ruins were quarried away between the 17th and 18th&nbsp;centuries; only a few fragments survive.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Cardona |first=David |year=2008–2009 |title=The known unknown: identification, provenancing, and relocation of pieces of decorative architecture from Roman public buildings and other private structures in Malta |journal=Malta Archaeological Review |issue=9 |page=43 |url=https://www.academia.edu/8342123}}</ref>